Reviews by obywan59:

Spices predominate at the start, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. As the beer warms, a little banana shows up followed by a bit of molasses, caramel, and some Belgian yeast with a whiff of alcohol now and then.

Sweet and spicy up front becoming more citrusy tart in the middle, with molasses and then some bitter roast malt in the end.

Good carbonation and medium full mouthfeel with light syrupy quality resulting in a bit of pleasant stickiness on the tongue and good warming in the throat.

Ovedrall, a very good winter brew. Warming for a snowy winters night and plenty of assertive flavors to keep things interesting.

More User Reviews:

Glad to try the last in this annual series.Poured into a chalice a deep dark chocolate color...nearly black with a creamy one finger deep beige head that left a broken ring of lace as it settled into a creamy mass.Deep mulling spice in the nose along with alcohol sweetness and a little earth.Full chewey feel to beer and really smooth,top notch there.The spice starts out like it might overpower the beer with nutmeg really standing out but a big earthy dryer finish kicks in just in time to give it balance.This is a big allspice and nutmeg spiced bomb but the earthy dry finish is a perfect foil up against it,a great beer.

Not a favorite here. I'd heard such great things about others in this series, and love Stone beers. March is definitely not an ideal time of year for this one. The appearance was dark/black, the nose, mostly clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, the taste reminded me of when I ate a tablespoon of nutmeg as a bored teenager. I don't usually like heavy spice beers, and this one says right on the side of the bottle it is an Ale with Spices, so no one to blame but myself here. Overall, just too spiced for me.

A: The beer is inky black with a light greenish brown tint and no light is getting through. The head is medium brown made of creamy, slightly rocky bubble that leave lacing on the glass.

S: A decent spice and pine aroma with moderately-strong notes of allspice, clove and nutmeg. There is a moderate sweet orange peel aroma. There moderate pine aroma that seems like it's the hops but it could be the mix of spices. Some dark fruitiness comes through at lower levels like moderately-light figs and plums. There most definitely spice in there but there doesn't seem to be a Belgian yeast type of an aroma.

T: It's a spice bomb and the first sip seems like lots of clove at first but it become clear that it's just a lot of all the spices they brewed with from the allspice, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg in order of how strong they appear to me. There is a moderately-light hops bitterness. The balance is even and the finish is fairly dry. The aftertaste shows some dark malt character with a slight roasted malt bitterness.

M: A Medium full body with moderately-strong carbonation. There is some astringency

O: The spice is out of balance but not too badly. Spice like this will calm down over time and if I was brewing a bottle to lay down for years I might bump up the spice to this level knowing I'd leave it alone for a while. I can't recommend this beer right now but I'd be interested to see how it taste in another year or so.

Stone nails the style, or at least the intention of being of the Belgian Noël beer likeness. Bold but that is expected here, memories of winter trips to Belgium come to mind. Last of the series, funny they should end with a bitter-sweet brew. One of the best of the series IMO.

A: Pitch black and opaque with an ephemeral milky espresso head which fades to trace lace and a faint blanket of foam.

S: Big spice aroma with raisins, dark grains with a hint of espresso, cocoa, and citrus zest. Some alcohol warmth is detected along with faint phenolic medicinal qualities which build as the beer warms.

T: An interesting melange of flavors with spice upfront consistent of nutmeg, allspice and a hint of peppery cloves on a foundation of mostly grainy, huskiness with a reserved sugary sweetness. The spice is paired with phenolic, band-aid like notes. There are also raisins, plum, espresso and chocolate topped off with citrus zest which attempts to balance the spice characteristics. Alcohol builds to the end beginning in the middle of this brew adding a nice warmth to the palate.

M: Medium bodied, powdery, with good linger and carbonation. There is also a synergistic spicy mouthfeel to the brew.

O: The last of the 10 Vertical Epic ales from Stone. The brew is not lacking in overall strength with a great complex spice flavors but overall the palate and component characteristics lack agreement with each other. Great effort from Stone.

Mega spice flavor here. Big cinnamon and dark chocolate. Some roast, coffee, licorice and coco powder. The base beer is so far buried and the Belgian character is muted.

Medium full bodied, medium to low carbonation.

Overall I enjoyed this beer. I don't think I could handle a full glass of this but none the less this is incredible. So heavily spiced yet fairly drinkable. The base beer is well made as usual from Stone, but is so muted. I enjoyed how in your face the spices are and how hidden the 9% is.